uganda. first two days!

hello all!
i am safely in uganda. but beyond this i don't know where to even begin....
the smells and the sights and the food are all AMAZING!
i keep having to remind myself that i am actually in uganda. :)

i didn't expect to email this soon. so here is a brief synopsis of my time here so far!

after 21 hours of flying and meeting 37 awesome people we are in kampala.
last night was rough because although i was exhausted, i could not fall asleep.
i was sleeping under a mosquito net.
but i think it was the time difference and the overwhelmingness of the day hitting me.
i missed you mommy! :)

this morning i woke early (suprisingly) and sat on the veranda with my Bible and the warmth of the sun hitting me!
it was wonderful!
then to top that i off, i got a HOT shower! :) YAY!
(let me tell you- i was is great need of it after all that traveling)
we are sleeping in a guest house that overlooks kampala and lake victoria.
it is beautiful.

everyone ate breakfast and TEA.
then we sat under a straw hut and had our first USP session.
we broke into groups and were able to share why we were here.
very cool!
then we had a tea break.
tea. tea. tea.

i think i am going to like tea!
we drink it at least two times a day!
it hit me later today that the small headache i had was from all the caffeine.
:)
finally, i WILL be a tea drinker! :)

later we went to the tombs of Buganda's kings.
and to the city.

my first impressions of africa are that it is similar to mexico.
def not the same, but similar.
we drive on the other side of the street.
and cars don't stop for you.
it's crazy!
no lines either... (isp no lines song... :)

i am so excited for all the people i have met already!
everyone is so sweet. genuine. and passionate about trying new things and Africa.
seriously, i feel SO blessed!
right now we are all on the internet listening to awesome worship songs being played by people.
and everyone is just singing along.
it is very beautiful!

i sat next to sarah and jason on the plane rides.
sarah has a nikon d40 so we are buddies for sure! :)
i have an awesome roommate for these two days named kimberly.
she is very cool and we both like to journal a lot.
i have also made a dear friend already, named sarah horvath (there are FOUR sarah's!)
we hang out a lot. but still try to branch off to others too.
we have a mutual agreement of our friendship which is so awesome.
and relaxing. and refreshing.

funny story today sarah and i got ice cream in town.
and the minute she licked it, it went SPLAT!
right on the interns foot and on the floor of the restaurant. hehehehe
it was so sad.
so in the picture posted on picasa (sign in as visitor if it asks you)it explains why her ice cream cone looks so pathetically empty!
fun times! :)

i feel blessed already to be with such cool people!
and the program seems to be very cool.

we are heading to UCU tomorrow.
and we are getting our roommates for the semester.
i am excited. but also nervous.
please pray that i would be placed with who God puts me with.
and that i would be content and okay with whoever it is!

sorry if this email is very scattered. it is very hard to concentrate and connect my thoughts.
most importantly... i am safe. and loving it!!

please pray:
that i would not have any expectations. but would experience everyday with an open mind.
for my roommate.
for relationships to form or disintegrate based on who God has me be friends with.
for me to meet God everyday. and of course to have my faith strengthened and q's answered.
that i could sleep tonight!
also, that i would remember to use sunscreen regularly... i am already a little burned!
and PRAISE that i already have some good friends and feel pretty connected! :)

i love you all.
and hope you are doing well!

love aimee

a few pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aimeejane44/UgandaUploadOne

sushi night. and flogging.

awesome night last night.
sarah and i planned a sushi night.
complete with cranes and paper lanterns.
sitting on the ground with cushions.
and of course chop sticks!

we invited grandma and grandpa (who got the royalty seating),
john (aka buck) and tabbi.
everyone was such good sports about everything culturally ethnic that we made them try!

grandma and grandpa even ate with chopsticks and didn't ask for a fork!! love ya guys!

:) thanks everyone for making the night spectacular.

the sushi was easy to make and i am going to try again at home.
california rolls with veggies, avocado, and imitation crab.
delicious!

.........................................................

then with full bellies we boarded uncle brian's truck.
we held on to the car and each other as he off roaded through the desert.

flogging... standing up in teh back of a truck, while the driver goes at top speeds and you try to hold on

it was fun.
although sarah can testify that i have bruises in crazy places! :)

we watched the sun set on the mountains and the clouds made it gorgeous!
everyone helped me take pictures and would let us stop (there ideas even!) and i would point and click, point and click.... :)

FUN TIMES!! :)

family campout. wishon village. 2007

our fourteenth family camp out.
despite long windy roads to get there, it was beautiful and the weather was perfect.
we went to a tea party.
to courtright lake and big trees forest.
and then to huntington lake to inner tube.
and of course celebrated national ice cream day.

i took nearly 700 pictures, so if you see a scowl on anyone's face just know they are normally very kind people, but when there was a camera girl documenting every moment they just got a little annoyed! :)

(any pictures with me in them... photo courtesy to one of my awesome family members)

check out the pictures...

happy birthday julie party.

happy birthday to you.
happy birthday to you.
happy birthday dearest julie.
happy birthday to you.

double-double digits for jules tomorrow.
so we celebrated with the pups!
take a look....

happy birthday julie. party.

downtown. rivercats game!!

it's been SO long since i got to upload pics, but i finally got time!!

on sunday my family went to a rivercats game with our church, and had lots of fun with the hawkins family. :) we are not baseball people, sorry bry i hardly watched any of it....

al and i went downtown on the light rail early and were "urban." we walked and shopped and talked. it was fun!




want bigger pics? or the whole album?... click on the slideshow!!
.................................................................................

church on sunday was really good. a guy named chuck neighbor did a drama skit and the message was "In His Steps- What Would Jesus Do?" it was very powerful for me, but after it was over i got sad because there were so many people who did not seem to agree. so many seemed apathetic to the horrendous lives others face around us everyday. his message was about the poor and hungry around us. and a challenge not to ignore it or turn our backs to it, but to do as Jesus would do
and help them,
feed them,
love them.

that is so my heart.

as i work in juvenile hall more i see (again, after ukraine), the evil of this world and how much they need Jesus. and His love. but how are they ever going to see it if we as Christians never show them a physical example of His love?!

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Matt 22:36-39

I know God can work in powerful ways without our help, but He has still called us to be His vessels of light and show others love. so the challenge was to do nothing without first asking what Jesus would do in the situation. i am trying to remember to ask Him before i act; i am not perfect, but He is.

God, You keep putting the needy people in front of my face. and breaking my heart. i keep working with the "hard" kids and i love it. it breaks my heart, but i still absolutely love it. why do You keep putting these kids into my life (i mean how cool is it that i got to work in lock down juvenile hall?!)?? not many people get these opportunities. nor do they enjoy it! what is Your purpose in all this? please show me Your will for my life!!!!

keep breaking my heart for the lost, and remind me to pray.
show me who You are more everyday. please. sometimes i am just confused and unsure... make Your reality clearer to me everyday and don't let my mind be muddled by the enemy.

thank You so much!

aj.

"many people don't do anything, because they can't do everything"
-BUT we can never do it all and only God can. the poor will always be with us the Bible says...

"There will always be poor people in the land.
Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers
and toward the poor and needy in your land"
Deut 15:11

car washing!!

the rain totally dirtied our cars, so we got to have a car wash last night . . . me. my mom. and my dad.
.
like usual dad always does the most work, thanks daddy!!! :)
.
oh yah, ps. my parents took the pics of me! (good job parents!)

jules. jump. click. click. click.